Posts for: October, 2016

Installing dental implants involves more than the mechanics of placing them into the jawbone. Ultimate success — a natural and beautiful smile — requires painstaking attention to detail and artistry.

Here are a few of the factors we must consider to achieve a smile with dental implants you’ll be proud to display.

The amount of available bone. For the permanent crown to appear natural, it’s crucial to position the implant precisely. To achieve this precision requires an adequate amount of bone to be present. Unfortunately, bone loss is quite common after tooth loss; to minimize this we place bone grafts in the empty socket if at all possible after extraction to encourage bone growth. It’s also possible in some cases to perform bone grafting surgery before implants to build up bone volume.

Your genetic gum tissue type. There are basically two types of gum tissue people are born with: thin or thick. Thin tissues are more subject to wear, difficult to work with during surgery and can make it difficult to hide the metal components of an implant. Thicker tissues are easier to work with, but can have a tendency to overgrow.

Achieving a natural “emergence profile.” To look natural, the implant crown must appear to seamlessly emerge from the surrounding gum tissue. To achieve this, we must carefully plan and place the implant in the precise location in the bone, taking into account the implant shape and how far it should be placed within the bone to match the position and height of adjacent teeth and gum tissues.

Blending color shades with adjacent natural teeth. When it comes to color, everyone has subtle differences in tooth shades and hues. In fact, there are slight color variations within individual teeth, from the root to the tip of the crown. To make sure the implant blends in with adjacent teeth, it’s important to match the color incorporated into the porcelain crown with the natural crowns beside them.

These and other factors require both technical expertise and a sense of artistry. Carefully considering all of them will help ensure your dental implants result in the smile you want.

Diet sodas may be better for your waistline, but they're bad news for your teeth. Dr. Jeffrey Johnson and Dr. Jodi Johnson, your St. Louis, MO dentists, explain how diet soda can damage your teeth and offer a few tips to prevent or reduce damage.

How do diet sodas damage teeth?

Consuming sugary drinks can increase your risk of tooth decay, but sugar isn't the only cause of cavities. Sodas, whether they're diet or full of sugar, contain phosphoric, tartaric and other acids. These acids attack your tooth enamel, causing it to erode. Once tiny breaks develop in the enamel, it's easier to develop cavities, plus your teeth may become more sensitive to hot and cold foods and beverages. Drinking diet sodas frequently will also stain your teeth.

Don't dawdle: The longer the acids in diet soda remain in your mouth, the higher the chance that they'll damage your teeth. Drink sodas quickly rather than slowly sipping them over the course of an hour.

Buy a package of straws: Keep soda away from your teeth by using a straw.

Find a new favorite drink: Root beer doesn't contain as much acid as other diet sodas and is a good choice if you would like to gradually wean yourself off soda. Even if you can't quit drinking diet soda, it's best to alternate soda with drinks that are better for your teeth, such as milk, water, coffee or tea.

If you're a diet soda drinker, it's important to see your St. Louis dentist every six months to make sure your teeth remain healthy. Call Dr. Jeffrey Johnson and Dr. Jodi Johnson, your St. Louis, MO dentists, at (314) 427-7400 to schedule an appointment.

Ever since childhood, when her career as a model and actress took off, Brooke Shields has enjoyed worldwide recognition — through advertisements for designer jeans, appearances on The Muppet Show, and starring roles in big-screen films. But not long ago, that familiar face was spotted in an unusual place: wearing a nasal anesthesia mask at the dentist's office. In fact, Shields posted the photo to her own Instagram account, with the caption “More dental surgery! I grind my teeth!” And judging by the number of comments the post received, she's far from alone.

In fact, researchers estimate that around one in ten adults have dental issues that stem from teeth grinding, which is also called bruxism. (Many children also grind their teeth, but it rarely causes serious problems, and is often outgrown.) About half of the people who are teeth grinders report problems like persistent headaches, jaw tenderness and sore teeth. Bruxism may also result in excessive tooth wear, and may damage dental work like crowns and bridges; in severe cases, loosened or fractured teeth have been reported.

Researchers have been studying teeth grinding for many years; their findings seem to indicate that it has no single cause. However, there are a number of factors that play a significant role in this condition. One is the anatomy of the jaw itself, and the effect of worn or misaligned teeth on the bite. Another factor relates to changes in brain activity that occur during the sleep cycle. In fact, nocturnal (nighttime) bruxism is now classified as a sleep-related movement disorder. Still other factors, such as the use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs, and a high level of stress or anxiety, can make an individual more likely to experience bruxism.

What can be done for people whose teeth grinding is causing problems? Since this condition may have many causes, a number of different treatments are available. Successful management of bruxism often begins by striving to eliminate the factors that may cause problems — for example, making lifestyle changes to improve your health, creating a soothing nighttime environment, and trying stress-reduction techniques; these may include anything from warm baths and soft music at bedtime, to meditation and mindfulness exercises.

Several dental treatments are also available, including a custom-made occlusal guard (night guard) that can keep your teeth from being damaged by grinding. In some cases, a bite adjustment may also be recommended: In this procedure, a small amount of enamel is removed from a tooth to change the way it contacts the opposite tooth, thereby lessening the biting force on it. More invasive techniques (such as surgery) are rarely needed.

A little tooth grinding once in a while can be a normal response to stress; in fact, becoming aware of the condition is often the first step to controlling it. But if you begin to notice issues that could stem from bruxism — or if the loud grinding sounds cause problems for your sleeping partner — it may be time to contact us or schedule an appointment. You can read more about bruxism in the Dear Doctor magazine article “Stress and Tooth Habits.”

Tooth decay doesn't appear out of nowhere. It begins with bacteria, which produce acid that softens and erodes tooth enamel. Without adequate enamel protection, cavities can develop.

So, one of our prevention goals is to decrease populations of disease-causing bacteria. One way is to deprive them of carbohydrates, a prime food source, most notably refined sugar. That's why for decades dentists have instructed patients to limit their intake of sugar, especially between meal snacks.

Ironically, we're now consuming more rather than less sugar from a generation ago. The higher consumption impacts more than dental health — it's believed to be a contributing factor in many health problems, especially in children. Thirty years ago it was nearly impossible to find a child in the U.S. with type 2 diabetes: today, there are over 50,000 documented juvenile cases.

Cutting back isn't easy. For one thing, we're hard-wired for sweet-tasting foods. Our ancestors trusted such foods when there was limited food safety knowledge. Most of us today still have our "sweet tooth."

There's also another factor: the processed food industry. When food researchers concluded fats were a health hazard the government changed dietary guidelines. Food processors faced a problem because they used fats as a flavor enhancer. To restore flavor they began adding small amounts of sugar to foods like lunch meat, bread, tomato sauce and peanut butter. Today, three-quarters of the 600,000 available processed food items contain some form of added sugar.

Although difficult given your available supermarket choices, limiting your sugar intake to the recommended 6 teaspoons a day will reduce your risk for dental and some general diseases. There are things you can do: replace processed foods with more fresh fruits and vegetables; read food labels for sugar content to make better purchasing decisions; drink water for hydration rather than soda (which can contain two-thirds of your daily recommended sugar allowance), sports drinks or juices; and exercise regularly.

Keeping your sugar consumption under control will help you reduce the risk of tooth decay. You'll be helping your overall health too.